Skype, owned by Microsoft, has just released their own version of video conversation messaging. Their new app, Skype Qik, allows users to send video messages to users, in the same way that Snapchat allows users to send pictures. This new application allows for up to 42 seconds of video to be captured and shared with one or several people at a time. The release of this new application comes at a very troublesome time. Their biggest seen competitor, Snapchat was just recently hacked again. Their recent hack left thousands of pictures to be leaked onto the internet for all to see, even though they have previously claimed that would be impossible. Strike two for Snapchat, as the continue to lose users' trust.
I think Microsoft needs to focus on ensuring their new user basis that this application is secure. If they can provide a more secure way for people to communicate, I think we'll see more Snapchat users switching over to Qik for privacy reasons. Although Qik has a focus right now of being the first video platform, I think there is a potential that it will soon be a hybrid of both pictures and videos. I'm curious to see how many users they get over the next few months that continue to use this app, rather than just test it out a few times.
Sources:
Tech Crunch
The Christian Science Monitor
"Even if you're not doing anything wrong, you are being watched and recorded." - Edward Snowden
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